The Impact World This Week: 3 July 2026

France: French savers’ commitments to social investments grow by 15%

French savers had €34bn invested in social impact finance products as of the end of 2025, a 15% increase year on year, according to the Social Impact Finance Barometer published today by FAIR, a membership body for the social finance sector, and La Croix newspaper. Figures include investments by French savers in non-listed social economy organisations, what the French often refer to as ‘solidarity-based finance’. Over half of it is invested through social employee saving schemes, called ‘90/10 solidarity funds’ that allocate between 5 and 10% of their assets to eligible social enterprises, and the remaining 90-95% of assets are invested following sustainable investment principles. Social investment products offered by banks and insurance channels account for €14.2bn, and direct investments in social ventures reached €1.3bn. While growing, it still represents only 0.52% of French households’ savings.

UK: ‘UK first’ child-lens investment fund launches in South Yorkshire

A pilot £500,000 social investment fund was launched in South Yorkshire this week to support organisations tackling child poverty in the region. The Dream Big South Yorkshire Fund has a blended finance structure and is a partnership between Save the Children Global Ventures, the nonprofit’s impact investing arm, social investor Key Fund, South Yorkshire Combined Authority and philanthropic partners. It will provide loans, microloans and grants to 15 local organisations which would otherwise struggle to access traditional finance. It will follow the Child-Lens Investment Framework, developed worldwide by Save the Children Global Ventures to target investments that directly benefit underserved children and families.

• Read our explainer: Impact 101: What is child-lens investing?

Ireland: New Deal promises policies to let social enterprise thrive

A campaign to reshape the relationship between the Irish government and the country’s social enterprise sector was launched on Wednesday. Representative body Social Enterprise Republic of Ireland, the organisation behind the Social Enterprise New Deal (SEND) campaign, is calling on the sector and its supporters to email the minister responsible for social enterprise to ask him to champion SEND with the minister for finance ahead of the 2027 budget. The SEND campaign is based on three ‘pillars’: better enterprise support and procurement opportunities; reducing unnecessary financial and administrative burdens; and recognising that where persistent market failure exists, investing in social enterprises can sustain services that communities rely upon.

Ghana: Ci-Gaba fund of funds shares learnings from pension mobilising success

Local leadership, striking the right balance of catalytic capital, and engaging with pension funds at the earliest stages of design have been among the secrets of success of the Ci-Gaba fund, a US$75m blended finance fund of funds designed to mobilise domestic pension capital into impact‑driven SMEs, according to a new report by Impact Investing Ghana, which designed the fund. Ci-Gaba combines catalytic capital from DFIs and philanthropic sources with investment from domestic pension funds – which accounts for 70% of its capital. The report suggests that while the structure of the fund was decisive, as well as the fact that it is denominated in local currency, the process through which it was designed and engagement with the different stakeholders was also essential.

UK/Global: British International Investment increases commitments by 18% in 2025 year-on-year

British International Investment, the UK’s development finance institution, made £1.8bn in net new commitments in 2025, an 18% increase on 2024, according to its latest annual review. This includes commitments to climate finance totalling a record £827m, with the top three SDGs invested being ‘decent work and economic growth’, ‘climate action’ and ‘affordable and clean energy’. The organisation estimates 1m jobs are supported by its portfolio of investees, although these jobs have been growing at a slower rate than in previous years. African businesses account for more than £1bn in investments, With just over £700m going to companies in Asia and £40m committed to Ukraine. BII’s portfolio returned a 4.8% loss of £469.6m after tax in 2025, in part due to currency exchange fluctuations, but remains above its seven-year weighted average target, with a 3.8% return.

• Read more: British International Investment launches £300m platform for renewables in India, as UK calls for ‘fundamental reset’ in approach to development

Netherlands: Impact investors invited to participate in state of impact investing research 2026

The Netherlands Advisory Board on Impact Investing (NAB) and PwC Netherlands are kickstarting their research on the state of the impact investing ecosystem 2026. The third edition of the study aims to create a “multi-year dataset” with both qualitative and quantitative information on the sector, including the size of impact investments, key drivers and barriers to growth, expectations for the years ahead, who are the active stakeholders in the sector and provide recommendations. Investors headquartered or active in the Netherlands are invited to participate in the research, via the survey or interviews. 

• Read more: From refugee tour boat captains to anchor institutions, how Amsterdam is plotting a course for social innovation

Spain: Social investment wholesaler invests €30m in European impact fund

Spain’s ‘Fondo de Impacto Social’, the country’s social investment wholesaler, has announced a €30m investment in Mustard Seed + Partners Fund I, which invests in mid-market growth companies that address social and environmental challenges and has a €300m target size. The Fondo de Impacto Social is managed by Cofides and backed by a €400m endowment from EU Next Generation Funds via Spain’s national government.

• Read more: Spain positions itself among world leaders in impact investing

Movers and Shakers

• France: Philippe Zaouati is stepping down as CEO of sustainable and impact investment firm Mirova, 12 years after founding the company. He will be replaced by Léa Dunand Chatellet as of 1 July. Read our Pioneer Interview with Zaouati here.
• Social Investment Scotland appointed five new directors to its board: Lesley Duncan, who spent most of her career at Aberdeen, most recently in ethical and ESG fund management; Lindsay Cockburn, currently director of investment operations at Baillie Gifford; Leah Black, the founder and co-head of the Regenerative Futures Fund (Edinburgh); Ian Walker, lately of the J&J Foundation; and Alison Campbell, HR professional and chartered fellow of the CIPD. Existing board member Sam Bett becomes vice-chair.
• Social Value International has appointed four new trustees to its board: John Tamihere (chair), CEO of Te Whānau o Waipareira and the Whānau Ora Commissioning Agency; David Wray, who brings experience in finance leadership; Revathi Sharma Kollegala, a specialist in AI ethics and tech governance; and Siobhan Henderson, who leads Australian Unity's social impact work.